Oscar Watch: Can Kate Hudson and Penelope Cruz really sing?

Rob Marshall’s “Nine” was screened for press this past weekend and while they are all embargoed on commenting on the highly anticipated movie musical — read into that what you will — the scuttlebutt that has surfaced is that the ladies in question really deliver. And just who might that include? None other than Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson and Stacey “Fergie” Ferguson. Critics and bloggers such as Awards Campaign won’t get to see “Nine” until early in December, but in the meantime, The Weinstein Company has released two new clips which feature the partial debut of Cruz and Hudson’s big screen singing talents.

Cruz plays Carla the mistress of “Nine’s” distressed director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) and her big moment is the sexy number “A Call From The Vatican.” Chances are you missed it since it debuted on “The Jay Leno Show” last week (along with millions of others), but thankfully you can watch the quick clip below now.

Hudson, on the other hand, plays an American fashion journalist and sings one of three new songs — i.e., illegible for the Best Original Song Oscar — “Cinema Italiano.” It’s unclear whether Entertainment Tonight, who got the exclusive, played around with the editing of the scene or if the cutting is how it appears in the film, but you can check out Hudson’s pipes and dance moves below.

It’s a bit hard to judge from these short bursts, but the ladies certainly don’t embarrass themselves. At the least it peaks our interest to see the completed film…once the Weinsteins trust us all of course. Additionally, if you didn’t realize, Fergie sings the most well known song from the Broadway show, “Be Italian,” which is featured in the film’s trailer. As for the vocal talents of the impressive cast, you can add your two cents in our poll embedded on the HitFix home page.

Currently, “Nine” is scheduled to open in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 18 and expand wider on Christmas Day. The soundtrack should be available on Dec. 22.

In other news…

– The Governors Ball sounds like it was quite the shindig Saturday night and The Envelope’s Pete Hammond got a first row seat. Check out his recap including some tidbits about this year’s Academy Awards show from co-producer Tom Sherak. The lowdown? Don’t expect the five presenters set up which ruled during last year’s show and, of course, lots and lots of comedy. For another recap of the show, check out Steve Pond’s wrap up on The Odds. To check out which stars campaigned, er, attended the event, click here.

– Another LA Times writer, John Horn, has done a softball piece on the making of and budget questions surrounding James Cameron’s “Avatar.” At least he brings up the questions everyone wants answers to…sort of.

– Late entry “Crazy Heart,” which features a fantastic performance by Jeff Bridges, now has a poster. Check it out here. A trailer should debut on Monday.

– “The Messenger’s” Woody Harrelson is a long shot for a best supporting actor nomination, but he went the extra mile on The Colbert Report before the film’s opening Friday by shaving his head. If you haven’t caught it yet, click here to enjoy.

One last bit: Which two films are increasingly getting more and more buzz in the Oscar verse? “The Lovely Bones” and “500 Days of Summer.” Can they make the cut? We’ll see.